Toy air pistols and rifles have been in existence for many years. Quite a few years ago they were known as pop guns in which a piston was retracted against a spring which was compressed, such as by pivoting the stock of the rifle relative to the barrel, such movement causing a sear to engage the piston or mechanism connected to it to hold the same in cocked position, whereupon movement to the trigger released the sear and caused the piston to compress air in the barrel against a cork or other similar projectile pushed into the outer end of the barrel and thereby shot the cork forwardly against a toy soldier, target, or otherwise. Typical examples of such air rifles or pop guns comprise the subject matter of prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 439,246 to Joslin, dated Oct. 28, 1890 and 1,119,074 to Heyman et al, dated Sept. 26, 1916.
Toy pistols also have previously been developed in which compressed air shoots projectiles from a barrel, the air pressure is generated by a piston which is spring pressed when released by a sear controlled by a trigger, cocking of said guns being effected by slidably moving the barrel relative to a frame from which a handle projects and typical examples of this type of pistol are found in prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 786,426 to Daniels, dated Apr. 4, 1905, and 2,132,173 to Lefever, dated Oct. 4, 1938.
Still another air pistol designed to shoot pellets capable of being projected substantial distances with considerable force also have been developed and one example of this type of pistol comprises the subject matter of prior U.S. Pat. No. 1,692,555 to Lewis, dated Nov. 20, 1928, and in which a slidable breech block is actuated by means of a relatively awkward lever pivoted adjacent the inner end of the barrel and movable up and over the barrel to operable a link connected between one end of said lever and the forward end of the breech block for purposes of compressing the spring of a piston movable in an air chamber, the arrangement being that when the breech block is retracted to rearward position, a pellet may be inserted in the breech end of the barrel and is in position to have compressed air directed against the pellet, which has a rearwardly extending skirt which wipingly engages the walls of the barrel to render application of the compressed air highly efficient.
It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a toy air pistol formed preferably from relatively rigid synthetic resin or plastic material, such as by injecting the same into suitable molds and so designing the components of the pistol that they not only render themselves capable of being manufactured in such manner but also are readily assembled into a finished operative pistol, in a manner to minimize the cost of production thereof, the adaptation of the same to being manufactured in the stated manner requiring substantial revision of design of the components as compared with the rifles and pistols comprising the subject matter of the aforementioned prior U.S. Patents, details of the pistol comprising the invention being set forth hereinafter.